Rio de Evil
by Vryce
Summary: "Black Ops" part 1. A Riley Finn fic so if you're a hater, you might want to stay away.


Author: Vryce/Joseph/The Fantabulous Mr. J  
Disclaimer: Faith, Buffy, Angel, the Scooby Squad, Riley Finn, and all the rest are property of Joss Whedon, the WB, UPN, the Kazukis, Sandollar, Mutant Enemy, and whoever else they belong to. This story was written purely for entertainment purposes and is not profiting me, the author in any way. So please don't sue me.   
Distribution: Take if it you want. Please just leave my name, disclamer, etc. on it.  
Feedback: Critiques on any and all areas welcome.  
Author's notes: This story takes place before the "death" of Buffy Summers and as such, is intended to be my idea or perception of what Lt Finn's mission was and what happend on it. 

  
  
  
  


**Rio de Evil**

  
  


There were two men sitting across from him, as well as one on either side. One of the men across from him was fidgeting, the heel of his boot rapidly darting up and down, tapping on the floor. The men on either side of him checked and rechecked their guns, sliding the clips out to check bullet counts and fliping the safety back and forth and making sure all peices were well oiled. The pilot moved his lips some, speaking either into his headset or to his co-pilot, he wasn't sure which. He could somewhat feel his seat softly and rythmicly vibrating, but it was a dulled sensation, as most things were. It seemed to him that everything and everyone was moving, everyone but him that is. Well, him, and one other. The one sitting directly across from him. The only other thing that seemed content to stay.......still. But then again, he was also the one who broke the silence.

"Everything alright Lieutenant?"

"Fine." was his only responce, as it had been the entire trip. He sat there, dimmed, his sences dulled. Granted, he was still aware of the movement in the cabin, the rythmic thump of the chopper blades above his head, and the wind whipping past his face, but it all seemed a world away. He would have been quite content to simply find a nice rock to crawl under and die, but he still had responsibilities, and most importantly, a mission. And it was as if some higher power wanted to torment him more by reminding him of just that, by having the pilot speak up.

"Lt. Finn, we've reached the landing zone." pilot yelled as they hovered over a small clearing a few yards from the treeline.

For the first time since the chopper took off, Riley Finn lifted his head and opened his eyes, letting the world come back to him, and all the pains of his mind and heart fade away. He was a soilder for the US military, and he had a job to do. If Buffy won, then he could think about her later. If she didn't, well, it wouldn't matter.

"Put her down as scheduled," he yelled, working to get his voice over the chopper blades. 

Riley's eyes focused on the man sitting across from him. A man he had known for what felt like ages, and yet sometimes, felt like he didn't know at all. He had been there when he was first transferred to the Inititive. He had been there when Adam's attacks had started. Hell, he was one of the few who sided with him when Forrest started his push for power. He was the one who helped him keep things sane after Walsh died, after Adam took over, and after Forrest was turned.

As the chopper touched down and he ordered the men out of the cabin, he could still feel the calmness about the other man. But then again, Grahm had always been the type of guy you could count on in a pinch. He gave him a quick nod as they hopped down from the chopper and started their walk into the jungle. Riley fought hard to keep Buffy from his thoughts, forcing his mind to focus on something else. _Anything_ else. He let his ears zone in on the thumping of the choppers blades as it slowly accended back into the sky. He felt every twig and leaf cruch through the thich soles of his boots. And his eyes censored out everything else but the group of men before him, waiting just inside the treeline. He was determined to keep her out of his thoughts. So much so that it was actually a few moments before he realized he was being spoken to.

"...before any hostile contact. We don't wanna go chasing these things into a populated area. Understand?"

It was the Col. in charge of the operation speaking to him. He had to be 45, maybe 46 years old with graying hair and slightly larger than average build. He stood nearly eye to eye with Riley, but was perhaps a inch or two shorter. Either way, he was still speaking, though Finn had long stopped listening. Instead, he simply nodded his head in confirmation, even though he hadn't heard the majority of the message. He knew the drill however, recon before initial contact and stat checking before any hostile contact. Same M.O., just with a different objective. Sunnydale was all about the capture, here it was about the kill.

Ah. Sunnydale. He would have to keep that place out of his mind as well if he was going to keep himself and his men alive. A soldier's thoughts and heart can't be elsewhere while dealing with the enemy. Especially when the enemy is as dangerous as this one. He watched in silence as the Col. walked off, waving a few men to follow him. He stood there motionless for a few heartbeats until a pat on the shoulder brought him back to his senses. Grahm again. No matter, as that where his mind should have been anyway. He moved his lips, and words sprung from his mouth with confidence and authority as he strode forward into the jungle. His men follow, their demeanors seemingly affected by his somber undertones. They followed the Col.'s group, making their way deeper and deeper into the jungle. Breathing slowed. Colors faded. Sound muted. And insticts started to reclaim him.

They hiked for the better part of what was left of the day, taking themselves deep into the jungle's embrace. There was a camp set up there with all the norms for this type of feild op. An infirmary, lodgings, a makeshift War Room, latrines, the works. But there also appeared to be a few extra tents, as well as a few unfamiliar faces. Truth be told however, it wasn't the faces that bothered him, as he was quite used to meeting other troops on exploits such as these. The truth of the matter was he didn't like the way they were dressed. By all accounts, actions, and assumptions, they in fact appeared to be civilians. Riley didn't have to think twice before he spoke up, asking what it was all about. The answer he recieved wasn't all that enlightning however as the Col. assured him that when he had left earlier there had been no civilians on his base. Standing there with his men, he shoots a glance at Grahm, finding the other soldier's expression just as calm as ever, though his eyes roamed apraisingly over every non-military person in sight. The Col. walked into a tent, asking Finn and his men to stay put as he found out what was going on.

It proved to be but a few short moments after the Col. disappeared into the tent tht he emerged again, a young female officer by his side. He speaks to her as they draw closer, though in a voice to low to be heard. She heads off towards a group of medics tending to the civilians as the Col. walks up to Riley again, motioning him over towards an unused tent. On the way he informs them that a nearby village had been attacked, and nearly leveled, by a group of demons. The same demons he had been called down to handle. He listens quietly, but intently, as he's given a complete rundown of the situation. Everything from mission objectives and parameters, to methods of operation, to the current state of living conditions with all the extras on base. He listened carefully, or at least as well as he could, thoughts of Buffy still creeping into his mind from time to time. He was shifting back and forth between awareness and memories, his mind memorizing everything said to him, while his heart keeps his distracted just enough to not let him fully realize what was being said. His semi-sedated state was swiftly swept away however by the sound of gunfire, a metallic symphony ringing through the air as he rushes outside, his own assault rifle in hand.

He was greeted to the sight of a fistful of soldiers before him firing upon a group of advancing demons, and by the sounds of men rushing out the tent behind him. Bullets sang through the air as demon and human alike fell, a hellish assault underway by both sides. He rushed his way to the frontlines, shoving and pushing his way past the swarm of civies fleeing for their lives. It would be until much later that he would realize that all thoughts of Buffy and Sunnydale had left his mind, reactions, training, and instincts taking over as he brings his own weapon to bare, firing round after round into the creatures before him. As they fall before him, and his voice rises above the commotion, his mind and body fall into a type of harmony they hadn't experienced in to long a time. Orders spring from his lips, his very presence once again commanding attention and respect. Troops all around him fall into the battle positions he assigns them, the horde being held at bay. The thick jungle proves to be to great an ally however, the trees and thick undergroth providing ample cover from the soldier's gunfire.

Riley's voice calls out for the men to hold their ground, tactical thinking telling him not to rush in with a group of people from unknown military backgrounds. After all, his own area of expertise certainly wasn't guerrilla warfare, so there was no need to lead those men into the jungle against an enemy that obviously knew it's way around. He glances over his shoulder, the men holding their ground as ordered, only to have a second voice call out for a forward push. A female voice at that. Riley had seen to many die when Adam had made his play, he wasn't about to sit around and watch it happen all over again.

"Move out men! Let's drop these bastard where they stand!"

It was the female officer from earlier. The one who had spoken with the Col. when he and his men had first arrived. Riley opens his mouth to say something, only to have his voice cut off by that of his commanding officer, telling the men to hold as Riley Finn had ordered. He sits there, waiting a moment, thinking over his options. The Col. was letting him take point to see if he was as good as he was rumored to be, and Riley not really the type that likes to dissapoint, knows it's time to show what he's got. He glances at the female who had shouted out, finding her to be the one the Col. had been speaking to before. Her posture and demeanor both told the story of a vet.....but her eyes. Her eyes told a different story. This was her first demon encounter, he could tell running his eyes from the reddish-brown hair atop her head, all the way down her 5'8" frame to the boots on her feet. She was a rookie, and he could practically smell it, but at the same time her words echoed in his head. They would indeed need to move forward and secure the area, and if they were lucky, wipe out the threat altogether.

"Let's move it forward!" he shouts, a hand slipping from his rifle as he waves the men forward. "Teams of four, stay within eyesight. Let's move!"

That is all it takes to get the men moving, the female moving closer to him as Grahm appears off to the side, nodding a knowing nod at Finn. It was go time, and they both knew it. As they all press forward slowly to draw out the threat so that it may be dealt with appropriately, Riley has his doubts, but he knew it had to be done. The 5'8" reddish-brown haired officer seemed to know what she was doing however, so he tried to take some solace in that. She crept quietly along, her boots snapping twings and rustling leaves as she moved, her M-16 tracking back and forth across her feild of veiw. The demons had disappeared into the jungle, so there was no telling how far, or how close, they were. She was fluid however, her movements concise, definitive. She was a soldier in principle, but the grin on her face and the glint in her eyes told of a cowgirl at heart, and in the middle of the jungle, surrounded by demons.....that could prove to be fatal.

He hoped it wouldn't come to that. He and his men falling victim to some rookie's hotshotting. Even as his eyes scanned the thick growth around him, a part of his mind stayed viglantly focused on keeping track of the female's moves. He didn't need to see her to know which foot was just hitting the ground, or which direction her gun was pointed. He just _knew_. His perception of things was starting to slow down as his reaction time started to fall, his mind a razor's edge of precision and discipline. A part of him knew of the danger to his left almost before the men in the area did, a small tingle running down the rear of his neck hintting it to him. So even as the first shots ran out through the afternoon air, his body was already turned bringing his own rifle and gunfire to bear down on the hostile. Neither he or any of the men knew it at the time, but that fisrt bullet was the beginning. It was the sound of that first shot that brought both soldier and demon alike to fight. It was that first shot that signaled the end to so many lives. 

Riley, Grahm, and a handful of others where a bit better prepared for what followed. Time served under Walsh and the following battle with the hostiles released by Adam teaching them exactly what it was like to be knee deep in demons for no appearent reason. Finn's voice rang clearly through the air as he tried to bring his troops under control, orders to regroup and stay grounded giving the men at the very least a fighting chance. Grahm was doing his part as well, a natural born soldier out on the battlefield to the very end. His voice echoed Riley's repeating orders o those who either didn't hear them, or were to caught up in fear to listen. The two of them, Finn and Grahm, moved in perfect compliment to one another, each knowing the other's moves a moment before they were made. The female did her part as well, though she seemed to take a more hands-on approach. As Riley's training told him to keep his distance and _try_ to pull his men back some, her instincts made her close the distance and _move_ the men back. Some more gently than others. In a most instances all she need do was give them a tap on the shoulder or a quick nudge from the rear, but in a few cases other actions needed to be taken. Luckily for those involved she wasn't one to shy away from them. 

More than once her fingers wrapped themselves around the collar of one of the troops, forcibly yanking him back out of harms way. She seemed to either be on the very front or a mere half step behind it at as they regrouped, stragglers getting cut down as quickly as demons. The fight from that point seemed to be nothing more than a blur of time, gunfire and raised voices adding to the ever growing rhapsody of battle. The demons were losing, and losing badly, but drove ever on, taking out a man here and there when they could. The Troops held solid however, watching their enemies numbers dwindle as they passed clips and magazines among themselves, making sure everyone capable of attacking was. Finn's eyes slowly traced the treeline as the last of the shells fell to the jungle floor, his vision clearing itself of distractions as his hearing moved from that around him, to that ahead of him. He could still feel a few lurkers about, but couldn't pinpoint where, his full attention focused on trying to find them. He made no moves as a hand fell on his shoulder, nor did he respond as he was spoken to. He sat there for a few heartbeats, letting the world come to him as he waited. And waited. And waited. 

All at once his men's faces turned to shock as he suddenly stood and whiped around, much faster than anyone should have been able to. His eyes tunneled down the scope of his rifle as he watched the female take another step away from him, heading back to camp. Things hadn't even finished registering in people's minds when he squeezed his trigger, a single shot snaking it's way out of his barrel and making it's way towards it's target. A Target that appeared to be the woman's back. Not enough time had even passed for a word of protest to be uttered, nor did she have enough time to turn to see whom had just fired, but all of that mattered little. The shell from his lone bullet struck the dirt only a hair before the demon did. The demon that had suddenly risen up behind the woman to strike her down. The demon that now lay dead, a bullet through the back of his skull. 

It was only then did she turn. her sidearm drawn and aimed at the now slain menance. Her eyes rose from it's body to met Riley's as he started walking towards her, and then past. She holstered the pistol as she made strides to come up next to him, her head occasionally turning to look at the thing that would have made the end of her had he not been there. A slow, deep breath found it's way into her lungs as she searched for the right words to say, a meek "Thanks" proving to be the only thing capable of escaping. He met it with a firm "You're welcome" as he walked, never breaking stride. She had to stop, more out of realization of how close she had come in that moment to dying than from the rudeness of this soldier. It dawned on her as he walked away that she didn't even know who he was. 

"I didn't catch you're name soldier. I'd like to be able to thank you proper." she called out behind him, somewhat surprised when he stopped and turned to look at her. 

"Riley Finn. And you?" he asked, voice steady, eyes calm. 

"Samantha Hodgkins." she replied, caught a bit off-guard by the question. "Call me Sam." 


End file.
